Focus on jobs, not benefits, to cut welfare bill, says thinktank

Dangers include unintended pregnancies, taking unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, say expertsMisinformation about perimenopause is putting women at risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, experts have said.Awareness of menopause and treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been raised by efforts including a prominent documentary by Davina McCall. Continue reading...

Rain overwhelms sewer system in parts of US city, while temperatures in France break May recordNew York City saw flash flooding on Wednesday, as large parts of Brooklyn and Queens received about 2in (50mm) of rainfall in as little as 20 minutes. Officials said the deluge caused water to flow into the sewer system at a rate of up to 6in an hour, quickly overwhelming an aged network that was designed to accommodate just 1.75in an hour.Residents and commuters found themselves wading knee-deep through flood water that flowed with dangerous speed in places. One video showed a woman alighting from a bus losing her footing and being dragged along by the torrent of water. Several major roads were blocked, including the Long Island Expressway, and subway services were disrupted as water spilled into stations. Large amounts of mud and other debris was left behind; videos showed bags of rubbish being swept down streets along with loose litter. Continue reading...

Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the late shah, are clashing with those who oppose a return of monarchyWearing a bucket hat, a blue Adidas hoodie and khaki shorts, Tony Mohraz, also known as 021kid, chest-bumps a friend in front of a memorial wall in Golders Green, in north London.Photographs can be seen behind him of those who were killed protesting against the Iranian regime. As a large lion and sun flag used in Iran before the Islamic revolution is waved overhead, Mohraz starts to rap. Continue reading...

As former Soviet Republic goes to the polls, it finds itself in a strategic tug of war between Russia, the US, Turkey, Europe and AzerbaijanTo describe Yerevan, a charming city of liberal values encased in imposing Soviet architecture, as the centre of the world is a stretch, but Armenia’s claim that it can become the strategic crossroads of the landmass of Eurasia is becoming less and less fanciful. As the former Soviet Republic goes to the polls on 7 June for national elections, it finds itself in a five-way tug of war between Russia, the US, Turkey, Europe and Azerbaijan.The interest has in part been sparked by the possibility of an end to Armenia’s conflict with its neighbour Azerbaijan – and the chance this represents for Armenia to end its physical isolation and become part of the middle corridor, a vital trade route linking western China and Europe, bypassing both Russia’s northern corridor and the Suez canal. Continue reading...

Radiologists say ‘ballooning’ costs reflect staffing failures, forcing a reliance on lower-quality private scan reportsThe NHS is paying private firms record sums to analyse diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed.The amount being spent on outsourced the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiralling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, ministers are being told. Continue reading...

Brereton says ‘ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally’ were ‘drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose’Paul Brereton, Australia’s first national anti-corruption commissioner, will step down from the top job in July, citing criticism of potential conflicts of interest as “drawing attention away” from the body’s core purpose.In a statement on Monday afternoon, Brereton said the “ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally” were “drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose of strengthening integrity”. Continue reading...

Inmates at Barinas prison allege they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire, leaving some woundedInmates at Venezuela’s western Barinas prison staged a protest on its roof on Sunday, piling flaming mattresses and calling for the removal of the facility’s director, who they accused of overseeing guards as they shot unarmed prisoners.“We want justice. They are shooting us, the guards and the wardens,” a prisoner said in a video shared by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a local NGO, on X, in which a man is seen with a bullet wound in his chest. Continue reading...

Under government’s price cap typical gas and electricity bills are forecast to rise by £209 from this summerMinisters face growing calls to cut utility bills as millions of households in Great Britain face energy cost “anxiety,” with gas and electricity costs forecast to rise to almost £1,900 from this summer.The typical dual-fuel bill is expected to climb by nearly 13% under the government’s energy price cap, adding £209 a year to household costs, in a blow to families already hit by rising prices for essentials. Continue reading...

Secretary of state says a deal could materialise ‘today’, while Trump says talks with Iran proceeding constructively as he faces criticism from within his own partyHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise “today”. Continue reading...

From blocking freedom of information requests to tabling documents when no one is looking, promises of an upfront approach to power are in rough shapeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFriday afternoon can be a dangerous time to be a journalist.Editors racing to put together weekend editions lob last-minute requests and governments routinely release uncomfortable information late in the day. Continue reading...

Paris police looking into more than 100 allegations of mistreatment by ‘monitors’ after parents’ groups said they had fought for years to be taken seriouslyFrance is facing a child abuse scandal as ‘monitors’ at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape.Paris police are examining more than 100 allegations of mistreatment, physical violence and rape of children as young as three by school monitors during lunch breaks, nap times and after-school activities, prosecutors have confirmed. Continue reading...